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Made my day!

1K views 9 replies 7 participants last post by  iceflower 
#1 ·
Just got this email in response to an article I wrote 3 years ago!! Totally made my day, it was so nice of her to write. Just wanted to share:

Here's a note for you, Erin!

Melanie Wilson

Senior Editor, VegNews

www.vegnews.com

* * * * * * * *

Subject: Erin Folley article

I was so impressed by Erin Folley's article For the Environment. It was organized very well, which made it easy to read. I have just recently become a vegetarian (about 2 weeks) and I have been doing lots of research about it. All of what I've learned was contained concisely and cleary in her article. And I feel that the reasons she stated for going vegetarian are exactly why I made that same choice.

If it is at all possible, please pass this on to her. I want her to know how helpful she's been to me. Becoming vegetarian is very difficult for me and her article gave me the reinforcemnt I needed.

Thank you very much for this online magazine. It has helped me a great deal and since I don't know any vegetarians my age (17) it has been nice to read about others like me on your site.

Love and Peace,

Janeya
 
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#6 ·
Thanks


These are the links to where it was published on VegetarianTeen:

http://www.vegetarianteen.com/articles/forenviron.shtml

http://www.vegetarianteen.com/articles/forhealth.shtml

http://www.vegetarianteen.com/articl...ingtrans.shtml

And edited version was also published in Teen Voices magazine, last year I think?

But heres the full one:

Why Go Veg?

Nothing will benefit human health and increase chances for survival of life on Earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet. - Albert Einstein

A vegetarian is someone whose diet is free from meat, poultry, fish and their by-products, with or without eggs and dairy foods. Millions of people across the world are vegetarian. Going veggie is healthy, animal friendly and great for the planet. Its one of the best choices you can make, and with all the foods that are available today; its never been easier.

For Your Health

A well balanced plant based diet can be healthy for everyone, no matter what stage of life theyre at.

Veggie foods are loaded with fibre, nutrients, vitamins and minerals, are low in fat, especially saturated fat, and have little or no cholesterol.

People with a veggie diet have a much lower risk of getting any of the major illnesses like heart disease, cancer, obesity, diabetes or osteoporosis all of these have been directly linked with diets high in animal products.

Studies show that people with a plant based diet have stronger immune systems than meat eaters, are more than half less likely to die of heart disease, are 40% less likely to die of cancer and have a lower death rate from food related causes.

Vegetarians are far less likely to get food poisoning, never have to worry about ingesting animal antibiotics and hormones, or getting diseases that are spread through meat and animal products like E. coli, salmonella, or mad cow disease.

Vegetarians, on average, live six years longer then meat eaters.

The New Four Food Groups was developed by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine as a healthy alternative to the old food pyramid. The plan is pure vegetarian and gives you all of the daily nutritional requirements for the average adult.

Vegetables (dark green leafy vegetables, carrots etc) 3 or more servings

Include a variety. Full of vitamin C, beta-carotene, riboflavin, iron, calcium, fibre, and other vitamins

Whole grains (bread, rice, pasta, cereal etc) 5 or more servings

Stacked with fibre and other complex carbohydrates, protein, B vitamins and zinc.

Fruit (bananas, oranges etc) 3 or more servings

Try to eat whole fruit rather than juice, and make sure at least one serving you grab is high in Vitamin C. Crammed with fibre, beta-carotene and Vitamin C.

Legumes (beans, peas, lentils etc) 2 or more servings.

Great for fibre, protein, iron, calcium, zinc and B vitamins.

Be sure to include good sources of Vitamin B12 in your diet from foods like fortified cereal, orange juice or soymilk.

For The Animals

Most animals eaten in Australia today are raised in the crowded sheds of factory farms, often without natural light or fresh air. They are fed a diet of processed foods, and are regularly subjected to antibiotics, and hormones that artificially maximize growth. Meat animals, as well as those that produce dairy and eggs are subjected to painful procedures that are designed to improve efficiency and increase profits. Chickens are debeaked with a hot blade days after birth, for example, and male pigs and cows are castrated without painkillers.

Billions of animals are slaughtered for the food industry every year, and many others die from stress, disease and abuse. Those that survive their unnatural farm lives are prodded and crammed into trucks for transportation to the abattoir where they are slaughtered, some times while fully conscious. Food production is the greatest cause of animal suffering and death but even individuals can help put a stop to it. A normal person on a vegetarian diet saves on average 83 lives each year.

For The Environment

Plant based diets are the more planet-friendly way of feeding our growing population they wont cost you the earth!

Water - Animal food production uses up huge amounts of water resources. A pure vegetarian diet uses nearly 14 times less water to be produced than an animal based one.

Land - Overgrazing destroys millions of acres of land that would more efficiently be used to grow food that feeds people directly.

Pollution - Raising animals for food is the largest industrial polluter of water and topsoil. Approximately one quarter of methane emissions come from livestock, which makes a significant increase to global warming and livestock ammonia emissions are one of the major causes of acid rain.

Energy Veggie diets consume less energy to produce. One third of all raw materials and fossil fuels are used to raise animals for food.

Deforestation - Hundreds of millions of acres of forests and tropical rainforests have been cleared to create grazing land for cattle and to grow crops to feed animals that are raised for meat. This deforestation robs the Earth of oxygen and causes the extinction of around 100 species every day. Each vegetarian saves on average one acre of trees every year.

Fishing Hundreds of species of fish are now extinct or threatened due to the effects that fishing has on the worlds oceans. The techniques used by the industry such as drift nets and trawlers are not only causing irreversible damage to ocean ecosystems but also taking the lives of many marine species and bird life along with it.

Resources - Producing animals for food depletes a huge amount of resources. The meat from a cow can ultimately feed a few dozen people, but the same resources that produced the cow could feed hundreds of people. The worlds cattle alone are fed a quantity of food that would otherwise be enough to feed the entire human population on Earth, including the 60 million people who will otherwise starve to death each year.

Making The Transition

Some people decide to switch to a plant based diet instantly; others move to a vegetarian diet gradually or go through stages. If youre not keen to give up your favourite food, try changing everything but that. Do what works best for you. Even if you feel that it is not really your thing, reducing the amount of animal foods you eat, or opting for organic and free-range animal products instead can make a huge difference.

If youre interested in going veggie, you can make a start by vegging-up your favourite dishes add more plant foods and then try swapping animal foods with some of the substitutes that are available. There are healthy and tasty alternatives for all animal based products, from dairy foods (like ice creams!) to eggs replacers and mock meats. The taste varies a lot with each brand so just experiment to see which ones you like best. Dont be afraid to check out international dishes because they often have great veggie meals that will open your eyes to how many awesome food choices you have.

When you are eating out, most restaurants have great veggie dishes on the menu, and those that dont will often happily accommodate special requests. If your dining at someone elses house let them know in advance about your preferences or even better, take your fav dish along to share.

Plant based diet need no more planning than any other diet. Vegetarian foods are easy to find, no more difficult to prepare than other foods and veggie diets will even help you keep a little more cash in your pockets!

You can improve your health, help the environment and save animal in one simple stepwhy not take it? Go veggie and eat for life!

A Few Famous Faces Who Never Eat Animals

Bryan Adams, Alec Baldwin, Drew Barrymore, Leonardo Da Vinci, Bob Dylan, Gandhi, Daniel Johns, Carl Lewis, Steve Martin, Paul McCartney, Martina Navratilova, Sir Issac Newton, Moby, Natalie Portman, Prince, Pythagoras, Jerry Seinfield, Alicia Silverstone and Shania Twain.

Resources/For More Info

101 Reasons Why Im A Vegetarian: http://www.vivavegie.org/vv101/

All 4 Vegan: http://www.all4vegan.net/

American Dietetic Association: http://www.eatright.org/

Animal Liberation: http://www.animal-lib.org.au/

EarthSave: http://www.earthsave.org/

International Vegetarian Union: http://www.ivu.org/

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals: http://www.peta.org/

Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine: http://www.pcrm.org/

Vegan Action: http://www.vegan.org/

Vegan Outreach: http://www.veganoutreach.org/

Vegetarian Resource Group: http://www.vrg.org/

Vegetarianteen.com: http://www.vegetarianteen.com/

VegSource: http://www.vegsource.com/

World Rainforest Information Portal: http://www.rainforestweb.org/

By Erin.

First published on VegetarianTeen: http://www.vegetarianteen.com/
 
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